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What sailing knife do you use?

48K views 163 replies 89 participants last post by  MarkofSeaLife 
#1 ·
I must admit that I haven't been good about having a knife on me while sailing. This is something I need to rectify. I plan to get one and have it permanently attached to my harness/lifejacket.

Which knife do you use and how do you keep it at the ready?



MedSailor
 
#85 ·
For 20 years I have been wearing a lanyard of some sort around my neck with a light weight folding knife hanging on it by its belt clip. Also on the lanyard is a white Photon light. I am usually in a very casual state of attire and can't even be counted on to have pockets, much less a belt, but I always have my knife and flashlight. These knives have always been pointy and yeah, I have stuck myself a little, but I also cut myself shaving. I do use dedicated blunt tip, serrated knives on my PFDs and a Buck 315 in my pocket (gone thru 3 in 12 years) and a Leatherman Wave on my belt, but I use my "neck knife" more than any of them.
 
#86 ·
I have a leatherman on my PFD and carry a Sypyderco Harpy in my pocket. The Harpy has worn shiny over the years as I always seem to be grasping/holding/playing/fondling it :eek:
Occasionally I may forget it, say if taking off my jacket, but some seconds later I miss it and go retrieve it.

The leatherman is actually used more, virtually everyday on the boat, but the Spyderco is always there for the serious quick line-cutting work.

Btw, I've been MIA for awhile, feels good to get back to SailNet. :)
 

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#88 ·
I am a newbe and have enjoyed mthis thread> Right now I will use my dive knife tanto tip fixed blade. I keep a sog aegis on me most of the time it is a folder. I like to ski. you can come up on your elbows and knees if you need to breath then turn to your back spin around dig your feet in at 50 mph and you are barefooting. When one goes overboard without a man to kill the speed at the first hint of a problem you are in trouble Good luck getting to that knife with any injury you may have along with the odd angle of pull from whatever body part you are draging from. Clint Eastwood just shot the rope :) LOU 452
 
#90 ·
Hello there, Buck knife 110 frame has been my knife of choice. Strong keeps and edge and fits the hand. A little story... I was working oil service vessels in South east asia in 1978, came aboard after an evening ashore and found my cabin had been cleaned out. The only thing they left behind was the box my knife had came in. Inside was the warranty thatI had failed to fill out and mail in. so for the hell of it i filled it out explaining what had happened and mailed it. Ya know by golly, about 2 months later a new one came in the mail. Any one with that kind of customer care deserves my praise. ! still have that knife and it has served me well. this is it... Log In | Facebook Cheers Larry ps.. i'm not sure that this link to photo well work.
 
#91 ·
I thought I'd post an update now that the knife is here.



Over all I am MUCH happier with this knife than I expected to be. The reason is mainly the sheath and retention devices. The sheath is quite ingenious in it's design and it has MANY attachment options that are TOTALLY secure.

Out of the box it has a slot for 2" webbing that can use a stanless screw to hold it in place. That means it can be fit securely to a sailing harness with 2 inch webbing.

Another great feature is that the loop on the sheath for the 2" webbing is located low near the handle. See in the picture how part of the sheath sticks below the handle? This is part of the 2" webbing loop. This means that the knife, when installed, doesn't stick down the full length of the handle like most knives do. In fact it only sticks about 2" below the webbing. This is really nice for installing on a sailing harness so the handle doesn't jab your leg (or worse!) when you sit down.

Finally I really like the retention system. It is very easy to use even with neoprene gloves, is very intuitive and super secure. It doesn't even rattle. It's hard to describe just how easy, intuitive and fast it is to get out and yet how secure it is. It's really good.

Why all this talk about the sheath and retention system? Well this is an emergency knife and I plan to carry it all the time and use it almost never. I did cut a couple lines with it and it seems to cut just fine. I don't worry about the knife not keeping it's edge because I don't plan to be using it much and thus not dulling it.

I like it so much, I'm getting one for the wife's harness too!

MedSailor
 
#92 ·
just was wondering how many times do you need to cut something? I cant think of a line i would just cut?
 
#98 ·
Got an override on one of the boats I race on. Couldn't ease the sheet, couldn't unload it with another. No time to keep banging that corner. Skip calls for a cut, sheet gets cut, we tack and get a second place finish instead of DFL.

Unfortunately after cutting the line flew up and wacked the jib trimmer and bloodied his nose. He's a tough nut though, used to do competitive stick fighting. Moral of the story, watch your face when cutting a loaded line.
 
#96 ·
This is one of my diving knives. I always carry it with me because once I needed it to cut a line and didnt have it one me. BAD move on my part and not a good way to impress the boss. I was told if I was seen without a knife, I would be without a job, so.. Even off work it is clipped to me with a brass snap shackle. It doesnt hurt that its named the Atlantic Salt.. Knife Blade Cutting tool Hunting knife Tool
 
#97 ·
sonofa-
The idea is nothow often you need to cut a line. Anyone who works with rope will tell you that it is a sin to cut a line, anytime, ever, because one day you might need a longer piee and itis much harder to undo a cut than to make one.

But if you do need to cut a line, because someone's ankle has gotten looped in it, or wrist, or even neck (genoa sheets can get cuddly), you may very well have to deal with a traumatic amputation if you can't cut that line instantly. Which means a sharp knife, quickly accessible.

Last time I needed to cut a line it had moored us by the propshaft. the water was damned cold, I kept bobbing back up or hitting my head on the hull, and I was damned glad the knife quickly went through the line. (I now always carry a watch cap, to prevent my head from damaging any bottom paint on a hull.)
 
#99 ·
I have a titanium dive knife in a sheath mounted on either side of my dodger within easy reach from the winches. The purpose of these knives is to cut sheets should anyone's hand be caught in the winches. Every crew is told where these knives are. My personal knife depends on what I'm doing. I usually carry a Gill stainless emergency knife with a serrated blade that will cut any line quickly. They are designed to used wwhen launching a liferaft.
 
#100 ·
I have spent years looking for the perfect knife, and have been sadly disappointed. While there are a lot of good knives out there, I have been unable to find one that really fits my criteria. That being said I currently keep two in my pocket. A Davis Deluxe in one pocket for the spike and shackle key, and a Gerber Paraframe for the blade. But to be honest I can't say I really love either of them.

I keep thinking I should look into having a knife custom made, but then I think of the cost vs the new boat bits I need, and I just can't get up the motivation.
 
#102 ·
Ndj,

That is part of the problem. With modern lines like spectra/dyneema and vectran, there isn't a knife I know of that will hold an edge for more than 3-4 cuts. This means constant resharpening, and none of the serrated blades are easily sharpened on the boat. For splicing I have ceramic knives that are good for about 10 cuts (these are supposed to never need sharpening). But ceramic is to brittle for use on a boat as a primary knife.
 
#103 ·
I carry a Leatherman Wave on my belt. Opening the blade with one hand is not as easy as some, but I haven't found it a problem. The serrated blade goes through rope easily, and they hold their edges nicely. Leatherman has an excellent warranty. I originally had a Super Leatherman that was a gift years ago. I twisted the screwdriver trying to get a seized screw out, and the local retailer took the knife back, no questions asked. No receipt, and it was at least 10 years old. Not only that, they let me upgrade to the Wave by paying the $30 price difference!
 
#104 ·
This came as a set with both a multi-tool and a lock blade knife.

The Husky multi-tool seems much heavier and studier than the Sheffield tool even though both are stainless steel.

Both of the knives are stainless steel with aluminum frames. Both have a serrated blade and both can be opened with one hand. However, the Sheffield has more of a flimsy, slightly wobbly feel. Also, the Husky has the notch where your index finger would go and has rubber on the lower edge for a better grip.

If the knife's serrated blade wouldn't cut it then you could use the blades on the multi-tool. The right blade has a fairly aggressive two step serrated edge while the blade on the left is a double row saw blade.

Husky is sold by Home Depot. I believe the Husky multi-tool is still the same (although without the pretty, blue metallic finish) but I don't think they still sell the knife. Promate has a folding divers knife but I don't know how sturdy they are.
 

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#107 ·
I have a wichard glowing three in one that I keep in my jacket pocket when sailing and a ceramic knife aboard for rope.

At first I wasn't sure how necessary a sailing knife was but I find myself using the wichard all the time. It is expensive but higher quality than similarly priced folding knives I've had.

Just had to get a ceramic because I was dulling the blade cutting my lines for whipping. I guess the 316 steel is softer.
 
#108 ·
Use a Grohmann #3 belt knife with army style sheath, flat grind. Made in Pictou, Nova Scotia. light, tough, dependable little knife. It's up for any task, from cutting rope to opening a tin can. Looks classy enough that it wouldn't look out of place cutting your steak at the cockpit table. It's born and bred in Canada, wouldn't use anything else. Good deal on " secounds " that are cheap with minor cosmetic flaws.
 
#109 ·
We have an assortment of knife for different uses. Leatherman clip-on is our favorite. I also like the Leatherman E4 Squirt (electrical tool) and Gerber’s curve. The work horse is the Swedish Mora fishing knifes ($7-12 at Maine fishing/marine stores), sailing knifes and the dive knifes. We keep the Mora all over the boat (near the winches on each side of the cockpit and at the mast. Another interesting knife is the M.U.K (Marine Utility Knife) - it’s scary sharp with a different curve.

Julia
s/V Esprit
Mariner 39
 
#111 ·
A friend just gifted me one for the new boat. Came up with a Victorinox Mariner. First 2/3 of the longish blade is serrated and the rest is just as sharp and locks, too ! Can opener, bottle opener (actually a spanner for the SiG or AMT gas adjustement ring, but I digress) Nice marlinspike for being flat and incorporates a shackle key. Of course, the ubiquitous tweezer and toothpick ride in the scales :D. I use a small dog lead to hook to the end ring and my belt. Drop it in the thigh ocket and it's always handy. Cuts double braid and whatever in a hurry...including flesh..DAMHIK ;)
 
#113 ·
I carry a Greber 450. Had it for years and can be opened single handedly and locks in the open posistion. Holds an edge really well.
But am thinking of a japanese short sword for; 1. to trim lines, 2. to repel boarders 3. because it would give me the illustion of being a swashbuckler of yore. Or should it be a cutlass??

Okay, okay, I shall stick with my Greber... It clips to my front pocket when not in use.
 
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